The first book of his youthful adventures relates how he rebels against the rigid, cruel world of the drow and their undergound homeland. Salvatore pours on the action set pieces and monsters, although the politics between the drow houses do overburden the story in the final third. The best part of the book is the author's portrait of the sinister subterranean world of the Underdark. It's a unique setting for an entire fantasy novel, and Salvatore invests it with equal parts wonder and dread. Get ready for the next two in the trilogy, _Exile_ and _Sojourn_. They're just as good.